ASSESSMENT

Overview

This Assessment constitutes a Performance Task in which you are asked to evaluate various sources of information related to a topic in the early childhood field.

You will choose a topic from the options below, evaluate the credibility of both scholarly and Internet sources, analyze ethical guidelines, and synthesize your findings.

Access the following to complete this Assessment:

• University of British Columbia. (n.d.). Evaluating information sources. Retrieved from http://help.library.ubc.ca/evaluating-and-citing-sources/evaluating-information-sources/

• University of California Berkeley Library. (2012). Evaluating web pages: Techniques to apply and questions to ask.

• Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). (2007). Ethical standards in research.

• Performance Task Submission Template

You will evaluate research related to your chosen topic and write a 5- to 7-page response using the template provided.

Topic Options:

• The use of technology in early childhood programs

• Dual language instruction in early childhood programs

• Inclusion within the early childhood environment

• Childhood obesity prevention strategies

Your response to this Assessment should:

• Reflect the criteria provided in the Rubric, which provides information on how the Assessment will be evaluated.

• Adhere to the required assignment length.

• Use the Performance Task Submission Template.

• All submissions must follow the conventions of scholarly writing. Properly formatted APA citations and references must be provided where appropriate.

Professional Skills: Written Communication and Information Literacy are assessed in this Competency. You are strongly encouraged to use the Writing Checklist and to review the Rubric prior to submitting.

This Assessment requires submission of one (1) document: a completed Performance Task Submission Template.

Instructions

Before submitting your Assessment, carefully review the rubric. This is the same rubric the assessor will use to evaluate your submission and it provides detailed criteria describing how to achieve or master the Competency.

Many students find that understanding the requirements of the Assessment and the rubric criteria help them direct their focus and use their time most productively.

Part I: Evaluating Credible Scholarly Sources

Select three peer-reviewed journal articles that relate to your chosen topic, at least one of which contains a research study. The research study must include children as the research participants. For each article you select, enter the following information in the template:

• APA citation

• Summary of each Internet source, a description of the topic and an overview of the information presented (1 paragraph)

• Evaluation regarding the validity and credibility of the source, explain how to the strategies you used to determine whether the source is valid and credible (1 paragraph)

Part II: Evaluating Credible Internet Sources

Select two Internet sources that relate to your chosen topic. For each Internet source you select, enter the following information in the template:

• APA citation

• Summary of each Internet source, a description of the topic and an overview of the information presented (1 paragraph)

• Evaluation regarding the validity and credibility of the source, explain how to the strategies you used to determine whether the source is valid and credible (1 paragraph)

Part III: Adhering to Ethical Guidelines

In 1-2 pages, describe the ethical guidelines for conducting research studies in early childhood, as evidenced in the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) "Ethical Standards in Research" article.

Then, choose one of the research studies you selected in Part I (that uses children as participants), and explain how the methodology in the article adheres to the ethical guidelines for conducting early childhood research studies.

Part IV: Synthesizing Sources of Information

Provide a 2- to 3-page synthesis of the sources you evaluated that provides an overview of the most current findings related to your topic. Explain why credibility, validity, ethical guidelines, and accuracy are all important in regard to your research topic and to any research within the early childhood field.